Men's Basketball Team Wins League Championship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michelle Tooker, Public Relations
610-359-5276
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA)— Delaware County Community College’s men’s basketball team beat out Community College of Philadelphia on Sunday, February 19, 2012, winning the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship with a final score of 85-72. The hard-fought victory marks the first championship the team has seen in 16 years.
The Phantoms entered Sunday’s championship round after a 66-57 win over Bucks County Community College during Saturday’s semi-final match. In that game, Rashid Hines and Domineek Owens each scored 14 points and Hines had 11 rebounds and blocked four shots. Carl McKenzie contributed 13 points, four rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
“From the beginning of the season the guys were built to be champions. They bought into the system that the coaches and I laid down and the hard work paid off,” says Coach Dwayne “Redz” Saunders. “To have the championship label and enter the history books at Delaware County Community College is an awesome feeling.”
Before both games, Saunders reminded his players of their roots and what they’d worked for all year long. Guard Khayyir Laws relied on that drive to play the entire game and score 17 points from the line. Owens led the team in scores with 28 while Ezekiel Black contributed 11 points and Justin Wright provided a critical defensive presence. In the end, it was the Phantoms’ close bond and perseverance that led them to overcome the Colonials in Sunday’s match.
As the Phantoms look to next season in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), they plan to remain consistent, bring in more talent and continue to win. Moving to the NJCAA will also give them national exposure and stronger competition.
“Having won the championship will give our program and College more notoriety and will help us get more students and talented athletes to come to the College,” says Andrew Johnson Jr., Director of Wellness, Athletics and Recreation. “It also gives me, the coaches and the players more confidence as we make the move to the NJCAA. I know after watching this team perform this year that we are ready to compete at a national level.”
For more information, visit www.dccc.edu/athletics.
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